‘Thangameenkal,’ comes like a fresh breath of
air
By Mythily Ramachandran
“Which is
of a higher value-Rs.1000 or Rs.100? Asks Stella Miss looking at Chellama. The
class 2 student answers in great enthusiasm, “Rs.1000 is costly for my granddad
but Rs. 100 is costly for my father.”
Her teacher rebukes/shouts at her in anger while her classmates laugh at her answer.
Chellama believes that there is no single correct answer to a question, but then nobody around her understands that, least of all her teachers. The only person who understands her is her father who patiently answers all her questions. The two share a close bond.
Her teacher rebukes/shouts at her in anger while her classmates laugh at her answer.
Chellama believes that there is no single correct answer to a question, but then nobody around her understands that, least of all her teachers. The only person who understands her is her father who patiently answers all her questions. The two share a close bond.
Chellama is a special
child and the hero of ‘Thangameenkal,’ a story penned by Tamil director Ram.
Kalian, a school drop- out working on a low paying job finds it hard to run his home. It is his father who continues to provide for the family including paying Chellama’s fees.
Kalyani prefers spending time with his daughter until one day his father in a fit of anger asks him to leave home. Kalyani finds work in Kochi as a security guard and the only link with his daughter is his cell phone. When she asks him for a pug as a birthday gift, this father travels to a tribal village to procure a ‘rainmaker,’ an antique piece that would fetch him the required money to buy the pug.
This story while pivoted around a father-daughter relationship raises few questions. Taking a dig at the influence of commercials on innocent minds of children and pointing out the flaws in the present education system in India, the director wonders if a child’s potential cannot be realized in a government school under the guidance of a good teacher.
The hero of this story undoubtedly is Sadhana, a class 6 student and resident of Dubai who slips into the role of Chellama. She shows great promise on her debut carrying the film on her little shoulders. Director Ram deserves praise for not portraying a special child in the stereotypical mould. And no one understands children better it would seem from the dialogues he has written for his child actors. There is a cute moment where Chellama asks her friend Nithyashree, ‘Why are you crying?’ Nithyashree replies, ‘I am going to die as my mother is always scolding me to study.”
Chellama asks, ‘Are you going to die today?’ Pat is the reply, “Not today but tomorrow.’ Why not today? probes Chellama.
“Today my mother is making puris.” Watch out for more cute moments between the two.
While Ram as Kalyani has delivered a convincing performance, there are moments when he gets melodramatic. Newcomers Lizzie as the strict Stella Miss and Shelly Kishore as Chellama’s mother impress. Other members of the cast include Rohini and Ramu, who deliver a mature performance.
Yuvan Shankar’s beautiful music strikes the right chord and the song, ‘Aanandha Yaazhai,’ is mesmerizing. Arabhindu Saara’s visuals are another plus, shot in Nagercoil and the mountains of Waynaad.
‘Thangameenkal,’ may be a fish out of water amidst the present age films but then you just can’t ignore this golden fish.
Kalian, a school drop- out working on a low paying job finds it hard to run his home. It is his father who continues to provide for the family including paying Chellama’s fees.
Kalyani prefers spending time with his daughter until one day his father in a fit of anger asks him to leave home. Kalyani finds work in Kochi as a security guard and the only link with his daughter is his cell phone. When she asks him for a pug as a birthday gift, this father travels to a tribal village to procure a ‘rainmaker,’ an antique piece that would fetch him the required money to buy the pug.
This story while pivoted around a father-daughter relationship raises few questions. Taking a dig at the influence of commercials on innocent minds of children and pointing out the flaws in the present education system in India, the director wonders if a child’s potential cannot be realized in a government school under the guidance of a good teacher.
The hero of this story undoubtedly is Sadhana, a class 6 student and resident of Dubai who slips into the role of Chellama. She shows great promise on her debut carrying the film on her little shoulders. Director Ram deserves praise for not portraying a special child in the stereotypical mould. And no one understands children better it would seem from the dialogues he has written for his child actors. There is a cute moment where Chellama asks her friend Nithyashree, ‘Why are you crying?’ Nithyashree replies, ‘I am going to die as my mother is always scolding me to study.”
Chellama asks, ‘Are you going to die today?’ Pat is the reply, “Not today but tomorrow.’ Why not today? probes Chellama.
“Today my mother is making puris.” Watch out for more cute moments between the two.
While Ram as Kalyani has delivered a convincing performance, there are moments when he gets melodramatic. Newcomers Lizzie as the strict Stella Miss and Shelly Kishore as Chellama’s mother impress. Other members of the cast include Rohini and Ramu, who deliver a mature performance.
Yuvan Shankar’s beautiful music strikes the right chord and the song, ‘Aanandha Yaazhai,’ is mesmerizing. Arabhindu Saara’s visuals are another plus, shot in Nagercoil and the mountains of Waynaad.
‘Thangameenkal,’ may be a fish out of water amidst the present age films but then you just can’t ignore this golden fish.
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